Drip irrigation systems, save water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of many different plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. It is done through narrow tubes (e.g., drippers) that deliver water directly to the base of the plant. In such drip irrigation systems, pressure produced by a pump or due to difference of elevation can cause water to flow in the network of pipes and drip onto the designated areas via drippers placed on the pipes. In order to prevent substances such as sand and soil from entering the water, and clog the drippers, the water may be filtered prior to entering the irrigation system. In addition, fertilizers and plant food and nutrients may be added to the water.
However, issues may arise while using drip irrigation systems. In various geographical areas, for example in areas having hard water resources, salt, minerals or other particles contained in water may settle in the pipes and in the drippers over time and block the dripper openings. The mineral deposit can disable the irrigation system and prevent the irrigation process, for example, by causing uneven irrigation. Removal of the mineral deposits from the irrigation systems can be a costly process, which includes replacing the blocked drippers or pipes or cleaning the drippers and pipes, which may require disassembling and reassembling whole or parts of the system.
In some instances, refining or filtering water prior to feeding the water into the irrigation system may reduce the particles contained in the water. In other cases, washing and cleaning the drippers may solve the problem by removing the mineral deposit. In yet other instances, control of water pressure has been suggested such that the pressure causes the mineral deposit to be removed from drippers. However, the solutions previously suggested require the drip irrigation network to be restructured and redesigned. As a result, the cost of maintenance can be high and unaffordable for farmers.
Therefore, a need exists for an economically beneficial solution for removing mineral deposit from drip irrigation drippers without a need for restructuring the irrigation network.